The Moon Is Calling
by All The Stars In The Sky
Summary: Follow Moonpaw and Rootpaw through the difficulties that come from loving a cat in a different clan. When Moonpaw is finally caught, how can she contact Rootpaw to tell him a secret that will change everything? Please R&R!
1. The Gathering

Two round, bright blue eyes looked at the moon, a splash of color among the dull coats of the sleeping apprentices curled up around her. The eyes belonged to Moonpaw, who, instead of sleeping, was gazing at the stars, her mind focused on a memory. She let herself get swept away into her thoughts. Remembering. She remembered the first time she saw him. It was her first Gathering...

Moonpaw's light grey coat was groomed until it shone. Instead of thick, bunches of fur sticking up all over the place, it flowed over her lithe body in a way that got some cats to give her a second glance, not exactly recognizing her. Usually she didn't care about looks. But today was her first Gathering.

Since she was in RiverClan, the trip to the island was short, and she was barely out of breath when the tree-bridge came into sight. Slowing down with the rest of her Clan, she opened her mouth slightly, and inhaled through her nostrils deeply. Scents came flooding into her. She recognized WindClan, and ThunderClan. That meant that only ShadowClan was left, and when she looked across the lake to check, she thought she could see a dark smudge moving among the trees.

She waited her turn patiently to cross the tree-bridge, although inside she was freaking out with excitement. Soon the cats in front of her all disappeared, and all that was left was the small tip of a tree that led over the lake water, to the Gathering. She hopped nimbly on it, and wove her way through the branches, not very concerned about the deep, black water rippling below her. Soon she landed upon light, springy grass, and again, many scents of cats flooded her nose. She picked her way through the undergrowth, and gasped when it opened up into a clearing. She had had it described to her before, but had obviously never been there. It's always a bit different than what you picture inside your head.

Sniffing curiously, her blue gaze found a group of apprentices, two toms and a she-cat. She realized that one tom was from WindClan, and the other apprentices were from Thunderclan. Shyly, she padded over and sat down beside a dark brown tabby tom, the one from WindClan. Three pairs of eyes turned to her, and she felt herself suddenly overwhelmed with all of this.

"Hi," she mewed quietly, looking at her paws. But when she looked up again, the cats' gazes seemed more friendly, and the tom beside her even touched her shoulder with his tail.

"First Gathering?" Without waiting for her to answer, he went on.

"I'm Rootpaw." He had bright, intelligent, green eyes, and she looked at him with apprectiation.

"I'm Moonpaw."

For a few moons after that, Moonpaw only thought of Rootpaw as a close friend from another Clan. But as newleaf turned to greenleaf, she saw him differently. All of a sudden, every cat with a brown tabby pelt reminded her of him, and she was constantly going on border patrols to WindClan, trying to scent him, hoping that she'll see him every time. Moonpaw knew it couldn't go on like that.


	2. The Confession

The moon was a smooth cresent that gave off a nice amount of light, set in the middle of the sky. Glittering stars surrounded it, although their presence didn't do much to help a certain grey she-cat find her way that night.

Moonpaw slunk through the undergrowth. She let out a quiet hiss when her fur caught in a bramble, but she was quick enough to get herself free and continue. She knew that it was against the warrior code, everything she was doing and thinking and feeling that night. But she also knew that she had to be true to her heart, and that meant that this was worth it.

Her heart quickened as she reached the border with WindClan. Bravely, she padded right up to the top of a small, sloping hill where the border marks could be scented. Moonpaw smelled Rootpaw before she saw him. The young tom was sitting a few tail lengths away from her, and even in the darkness she could tell his eyes were glimmering with excitement at seeing her. Her tail quivered with excitement. It's quite fun to break the rules, she thought happily.

"Moonpaw.." Rootpaw whispered faintly, inhaling her sweet scent deeply, as if he didn't want to forget it. He padded up to her and the two cats touched noses. The gesture wasn't much, but it still made both of their hearts beat faster. A cool breeze swept over the hill, ruffling the two cats fur and chilling them.

"Follow me," Rootpaw mewed quietly, " I found a small shelter where we can sit." He led the she-cat down the sloping hill to a small hollow, shielded from the wind by a small thorn bush. They both squeezed through the opening, and sat down comfortably, very close to each other. The small den seemed to hush the outside noises; all Moonpaw could hear was their breathing. The silence that settled around them wasn't awkward; it was comfortable, but the small, grey, apprentice had to break it. She had to tell Rootpaw how she felt. It was now or live her life wondering what he would've said.

"Rootpaw... I have to say this. I have to say this or wonder what the answer was for the rest of my life. And I can't do that." Moonpaw had meant for her voice to seem confident and strong; instead it sounded small. She went on anyways.

"I can't wait a moon between each time I see you. I can't only spend time with you for a short while before the Gathering starts. I can't be away from you so long. I can't... I can't live without you, Rootpaw. I'm going to be a warrior in less than half a moon, and then I'll have less boundaries. I can sneak out here and see you. I just.." She trailed off, realizing that she had rambled on, as usual. Embarassed, she met Rootpaw's green eyes. He looked at her for a few moments, and then leaned over and licked her ear.

"I know."

Although it was against the warrior code, their secret meetings went on. Their passion for each other grew - and so did the chances of another cat finding out.


	3. The Bust

The sky only contained the smallest hint of the sun left, as twilight drew to a close, moons after Moonpaw's confession to Rootpaw. Moonpaw was now Moonflower; Rootpaw was Rootfur. Their bodies lay pressed against each other in the small den where they had had their first meeting. Tails entwined, the last rays of the sunset danced on their pelts, and lit up their eyes. Their soft murmuring could just be heard above the sounds of the coming night time. They conversed quietly about nothing in particular, merely enjoying each other's company.

"Rootfur.. I have to tell you something," mewed Moonflower urgently. "It's important. And you need to know. I-" An accusing snarl cut her off.

"Moonflower, I knew it! This warrior's from WindClan! You- You love him don't you!" Both Moonflower and Rootfur leapt from the ground and darted out from the den to see who was there. A small gasp escaped Moonflower's lips. Ripplepelt, a warrior from RiverClan was standing there, his amber eyes blazing in fury- and hurt.

Although Moonflower constantly tried to avoid him, Ripplepelt always found a way to 'accidentally' cross her path. His love for her was painfully obvious, and she felt bad that she had to keep breaking his heart. Maybe after seeing her with Rootfur, she thought, he would finally realize that don't love him.

The fur on Ripplepelt's neck was bristling, and he hissed menacingly before jumping towards Moonflower, his claws unsheathed. She wasn't at all prepared, but luckily, Rootfur was. He leapt in front of her, shielding her with his body, but getting a couple clumps of fur ripped from his skin. He turned on Ripplepelt, and pinned him to the ground, resisting the urge to dig his claws through his flesh.

The whole time Moonflower stood ridgid with shook and disbelief. How could he attack her? Her beautiful blue eyes were now narrowed in hurt and anger at the pathetic warrior at her feet. She didn't flinch when he hissed at her, baring his teeth.

"How could you." That was the only thing Moonflower could bring herself to say. She pricked her ears, hearing the familiar mews of a patrol of RiverClan warriors arriving. She watched as their eyes glanced back and forth between the three cats, confused.

"I better go.." muttered Rootfur, letting Ripplepelt get to his feet. He gave Moonflower one last longing glance before trotting off into WindClan territory. Moonflower's gaze never left his tabby pelt until it disappeared in the hills. Then she faced her Clan members. Their accusing glares never left her as they made their way back to RiverClan camp.


End file.
